April 11: Nikhazy fans eight in five innings, but Squirrels walk off Ducks, 2-1

April 11, 2024 RubberDucks Game Recap | Box Score

Richmond Flying Squirrels (2-4) 2, Akron RubberDucks (4-2) 1

WP: Evan Gates (1-0) LP: Jordan Jones (0-1) Save: none

Summary

Akron RubberDucks left-hander Doug Nikhazy struck out eight in five scoreless innings, but the Richmond Flying Squirrels rallied to a 2-1 walk-off win in the third game of a six-game series at The Diamond Thursday night.

Turning Point

In a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the ninth inning, Richmond left fielder Victor Bericoto lined a one-out double to left-center field off Akron right-hander Jordan Jones. After an intentional walk, Jones struck out right fielder Vaun Brown, but center fielder Carter Howell hit a sharp ground ball that got through first baseman Joe Naranjo, scoring Bericoto with the winning run for the Flying Squirrels’ first walk-off win since beating Akron last Sept. 6 at The Diamond.

Mound Presence

Nikhazy began by striking out the first three batters of the game. He worked around a walk each in the second and third innings, and in the fifth, he struck out the side around a double – the only hit he has allowed in two starts – to strand the tying run at third base. He has begun the season with 10 scoreless innings and an Eastern League-leading 13 strikeouts. Right-hander Ross Carver worked two innings but allowed the game-tying home run in the sixth to second baseman Jimmy Glowenke. Jones worked around a hit in the eighth but allowed the unearned run in the ninth.

First-inning breeze at The Diamond: @Dougnikhazy fans all 3 batters

END 1 | Akron 0 | Richmond 0 pic.twitter.com/fYHtOSUPPH

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) April 11, 2024

Doug was dealing tonight@Dougnikhazy 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K

First 2 starts: 10 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 13 K

END 5 | Akron 1 | Richmond 0 pic.twitter.com/VN7oi7VzLB

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) April 12, 2024

Duck Tales

Akron broke the scoreless tie in the third inning against right-hander Carson Ragsdale. Second baseman Yordys Valdés hit a one-out infield single, and center fielder Petey Halpin doubled to left field, although Valdés thrown out trying to score. Third baseman Kahlil Watson hit a double to the left-field wall, scoring Halpin for a 1-0 lead.

Doubles by @peteyhalpin & @KahlilWatson1 bring in the first run!

TOP 3 | Akron 1 | Richmond 0 pic.twitter.com/bzpTZO3Gyn

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) April 11, 2024

Notebook

Halpin and Watson each have a five-game hitting streak to begin the season…Halpin leads the Eastern League in batting average (.450), is tied for the lead with five runs scored and is second in hits (nine)…RubberDucks pitchers had 13 strikeouts for a third straight game, matching their season high again…Game Time: 2:26…Attendance: 3,154.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their series in Richmond at 6:35 p.m. Friday at The Diamond. Akron right-hander Tommy Mace (1-0, 0.00 ERA) is scheduled to face Flying Squirrels right-hander Ryan Murphy (0-1, 0.00 ERA). The game broadcast is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on Bally Live. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.